


lost and found

by mettamaxie



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Child Abandonment, Child Neglect, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, also this is like. IMMEDIATELY after rose tosses him out, chairman rose gets mentioned a lot but he doesn't get a tag because he's a fucking bitch, i see a neglectful parent i fucking floor it bitch and so will marnie, oleana gets mentioned too but like. whatever, she can come get the fucking work too i dont discriminate, so no he obvs hasnt encountered opal yet djhsfkjsd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:14:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22181647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mettamaxie/pseuds/mettamaxie
Summary: Ripped away from a home.All an orphan knows how to do then is run.
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Mary | Marnie
Comments: 7
Kudos: 47





	lost and found

Run. That’s all he knew how to do right now.

Bede made sure to run like his life depended on it. He wanted to get as far away from there as possible. He could barely see anything in front of him as tears kept pouring out of his eyes, blurring his vision. Not that it mattered to him, he made sure he was looking at the ground as he ran. He didn’t care if someone ran into him, or if he tripped and fell; whatever the case may be, he just needed to go.

He would have to slow down eventually, though. Not because he wanted to, but because his heart was pounding so roughly that his chest was beginning to hurt, and his throat was burning. Crying and running at the same time didn’t exactly work in his favor, and it was only worsened by the fact that he had been screaming and sobbing right before he bolted. His own words still rang in his head, causing his tears to flow just a bit faster.

Bede was glad it was nighttime for once. He didn’t like the dark at all, but this time, he was grateful for it. He couldn’t let anyone see him like this. It was bad enough he had embarrassed himself by-

_I don’t want to think about that right now._

Bede’s pace began to slow down just a bit. He couldn’t force himself to run any more with how much his chest ached. He could barely catch his breath as his crying impeded him. Wiping his eyes with a rough, forceful motion of his wrist, he looked around.

The Route 9 Tunnel. Probably still not even the worst place in Galar to spend the night alone. No one would even think of bothering the lost, abandoned-

_I’m not abandoned._

Bede tried to quiet his sobs that kept escaping him by glancing down at the watch on his wrist. Somehow, it only made it worse.

_He’s going to come back for me._

Rose had given him that watch after all.

_He didn’t mean it._

The tunnel’s lights flickered pathetically, barely casting more than an extremely dim glow in the area. Bede didn’t care. He was tired. He would accept anything right now. Anything that could cease his awful sounding sobs would work wonderfully right now, he was sick of hearing them echo in the tunnel.

“Bede?”

He turned his head at the voice, his face turning a pale white once he saw its owner. He knew he had wished for anything that could cease his sobbing but...not this.

He couldn’t let her see him like this.

Marnie stood at the eastern exit of the tunnel, holding her Morpeko in her arms. She was frozen as she looked at the boy, she didn’t exactly expect to find him here.

“What are you-“

She cut herself off mid-sentence as she noticed Bede’s face overcome with tears. Her heart stopped in her chest. Was he crying? Him? Of all people? She nearly dropped Morpeko in her shocked state, only realizing once it began to yelp a bit in alarm. Breaking out of her rushing train of thought, she caught Morpeko and secured it in her arms, barely mumbling a quiet apology.

She could give a better apology later. Something was very, _very_ wrong right now.

Bede began to panic as Marnie began walking towards him. He refused to let her see him like this. He had an image to uphold, a reputation to maintain-

 _I sound just like him._

He remained frozen as she got closer, taking slow, cautious steps towards him. He screamed at himself to run, run as fast as he could, but he remained planted in that same spot, tears still flowing.

Three things stopped him at that moment: his chest that still ached, his throat that still burned, and...well, he wasn’t sure of the third one, but he’d figure it out.

Bede could do nothing but continue standing there pathetically as Marnie approached him now. She stopped right in front of him, looking down at his face. He knew how messy it looked, he felt it. He focused on her Morpeko, who was still being held in her arms rather tightly now. It seemed a bit uncomfortable by such a tight grip, but Marnie didn’t notice. Bede barely glanced up before forcing himself to stare down at the ground, he couldn’t bear to look at her pained face at the moment. He had finally managed to stop his tears, a rather welcome relief from the past 15 or so minutes of crying he had been doing.

“...What happened to ya?”

Bede had no idea that a question could make him start crying so hard.

His shoulders shook as he tried to stifle his sobs, failing miserably in halting his tears once more. His emotional strength was truly being tested today.

“‘Ey...come ‘ere, luv...”

Bede felt Marnie gently wrap her arms around him before she slowly pulled him closer to her, enveloping him in a firm hug. She rested her chin on his head, rubbing his back with her hand. Though the initial motion had given him a bit of a jolt, he couldn’t deny the sudden peace he felt as she had tenderly brought him close.

_But wasn’t Morpeko just...?_

He glanced off to the side towards the ground, noticing Morpeko standing next to Marnie with a concerned look in its eyes.

 _Ah. That makes sense._

Bede wasn’t exactly sure what to do. Truth be told, he had never been comforted while being in such a sorry state. His arms hung limply at his sides as Marnie continued rubbing his back. Should he hug her back or just keep his arms at his sides? And should he really be standing so stiffly? Though...with how tightly he was being held, he really didn’t have much of a choice.

Awkward discomfort aside, however, he felt the flow of tears on his face beginning to slow down. His breathing steadied, soothing the ache in his chest and the burning of his throat. The tension in his shoulders faded as he rested his head on Marnie’s chest, feeling it rising and falling with each breath she took. It was as if a wave had washed over him in that moment, taking away all the stress and frustration that he had pent up and replacing it with serenity.

He wouldn’t mind more hugs from Marnie.

“...Do ya want to talk about it?” she asked suddenly, pulling away slightly to be able to look at him. Snapping out of his sudden daze, Bede glanced up at her before returning his gaze to the floor. He didn’t exactly want to talk about it. He didn’t like talking about what was troubling him. Not like he had many people to talk to in the first place.

But somehow, this time felt different.

“...Rose didn’t want me anymore.”

The words slipped out almost involuntarily. Bede only managed to bring a hand to his mouth once he noticed the look of horror on Marnie’s face. Even Morpeko seemed like its heart had sank in its chest. He began stumbling over his words to apologize, only stopping when Marnie put a hand on his shoulder.

“No. Don’t apologize,” she said firmly as she led him towards the wall, prompting him to sit down. He blankly obliged, leaning against it and sliding down to the ground. Marnie soon took a seat next to him, with Morpeko climbing into her lap moments later. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes intently focused on him. “Now, what’s this about Rose not wanting you?”

Bede shuddered, realizing how harsh his words had sounded. Though hesitant at first, Bede recalled how Rose had met him back in his office in Hammerlocke, reprimanding him for his actions in Stow-on Side. He remembered how he had suddenly snapped back at Rose for the little sense he had been making, not realizing how much it had been frustrating him until then. He recounted how in an instant, after asking Oleana how many Wishing Stars they had, Rose had ordered her to take the boy outside. He recounted how she dragged him out by the arm as he began to plead for Rose to change his mind, his cries falling on deaf ears as he was pushed outside with the door slamming shut behind him. He recalled pounding on the door with all his might, his voice suddenly spiking in volume as he screamed and begged for Rose to let him back in. He remembered no one coming to the door, despite the effort he had made to be allowed back inside.

He recalled how the entire time, Rose had his back turned, not even looking at Bede as he was being dragged outside.

“After I realized he was just going to leave me out there...I ran,” Bede finished, his voice dripping with such a somber tone. It was hauntingly uncharacteristic for him.

“Where were you gonna go?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just didn’t want to be there anymore. I ended up here by chance, really. I wasn’t exactly paying attention to where I was going the whole time I ran.”

The two grew silent for a moment.

“...Maybe he didn’t mean it,” Bede mumbled as he stared at the watch dangling from his wrist. “...He could come back. Maybe he’s looking for me right now. He endorsed me, he _adopted me_...he wouldn’t just kick me out, no, of course not, he still wants me, I’m still his son, I-“

Feeling Marnie’s hand gently touch his shoulder, Bede broke out of his growing panic. He winced, taking a deep breath as he hugged his knees to his chest.

“S-Sorry...”

Silence again.

“I...I just keep making excuses for him.”

Another round of silence.

“How stupid do I have to be to think he’d even care about me?”

Tears were threatening to well back up in the young boy’s eyes.

“He...He didn’t even remember my _name._ ”

Marnie felt herself grow sick at that last point. She couldn’t fathom how that felt, but her heart shattered at the thought that Bede was simply tossed aside like that. He didn’t deserve that. She knew that he could be a little arrogant, and his attitude wasn’t the best, but he lacked the guidance to really get him onto a better path. Besides, she knew that he was a sweet boy at heart. He was just lonely.

She just wished she could do something to help.

“I...I thought he would want me around. I was convinced.” Bede lowered his head, his voice shaking. “Now,” his voice broke mid-sentence, “I’m all alone again.”

Marnie covered her mouth with her hand as she looked away from Bede. She had to stay strong. She had to do it for him. She promised herself that she wouldn’t cry, but she was getting just a little too close. No matter what, however, she wasn’t going to just leave him there. That was the last thing he needed.

“Well...you’re not completely alone,” she murmured, lowering her hand from her mouth. Bede picked his head up and looked up at her, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

“What do you mean?” he asked almost a little too coldly. It was purely accidental.

Marnie hesitated for a moment, a faint blush rising to her face as she thought about her next choice of words. The embarrassment that could ensue wasn’t important right now, though. She had to say it.

With a softened gaze, Marnie looked down at Bede, offering him the smallest, most genuine smile she could muster. The blush on her face brightened just ever so slightly, but she barely noticed.

“You still have me.”

Bede didn’t know how to respond. He was a little amazed that a simple phrase could leave him speechless. Surprisingly enough...she wasn’t wrong. She had always been there on the rare occasions that he wanted to tell her about an annoyance he had or a bother that was pestering him. In the moments they met up, she always asked him how he was doing, even if he wasn’t visibly upset or distraught. Even now, despite all of his crying and bitterness that was being let out, she was still here sitting alongside him. She showed him genuine care, something that he hadn’t really experienced at all in his short life thus far.

It didn’t help that Bede was suddenly mesmerized by her. He felt his heart skip a beat as she looked down at him with such fondness in her eyes. Marnie wasn’t exactly known for having a kind face, but he wouldn’t have believed that then. His face grew warm as he noticed her small smile. It was unbelievably...cute? Was that the word he wanted? He didn’t know, and he didn’t particularly care at that moment. The sudden shyness that overcame him felt strange...but he didn’t hate it.

He would love for her to just stay by his side like she has until this point.

He didn’t dare speak those words aloud however, settling for just quickly glancing away in the other direction. He slowly leaned towards Marnie before awkwardly plopping his head gently onto her shoulder, unintentionally nuzzling the crook of her neck with the top of his head. Marnie blushed at the action, but said nothing, shyly averting her gaze to the side and letting Bede remain there. She quickly thought back to how he had looked at her in awe when she voiced her support, silently giggling to herself about how his face looked so soft and innocent. She dismissed said thought when she started to feel her heart pick up its pace a bit.

She’d deal with those feelings later.

Morpeko hopped up onto Marnie’s lap and nudged her with its head. She looked down to see it giving her a knowing smirk, causing her to narrow her eyes and silently scold it. Of all the times Morpeko chose to be pushy...Marnie made a mental note to keep it in its Pokèball next time she was in a situation like this.

Morpeko’s cheekiness aside, however, Marnie noticed Bede shift himself just a bit closer towards her, probably getting himself more comfortable she presumed. He leaned a bit more of his weight against her—it wasn’t much, he was very light—and let out a quiet sigh of what seemed like relief. Marnie smiled a bit, though soon frowned as she realized she couldn’t just leave him there alone. He had said it himself, he had nowhere else to go now. She couldn’t just take him along with her, could she? What would Piers say? Team Yell would act up as they always did. Spikemuth wasn’t exactly pretty, would Bede even be willing to go with her? So many questions came to Marnie’s head with barely any answers accompanying them. Was she even _allowed_ to take responsibility in this situation?

She stopped when she felt Bede shift slightly, barely wrapping one of his arms around hers.

 _Sorry, Piers. Some sacrifices just have to be made._

“Oi...If you want, Bede, you can stay over in Spikemuth.”

The boy shot up, his eyes wide. “Wh-What?”

“J-Just for the night!” Marnie clarified, putting her hands up defensively. “I know it isn’t exactly the nicest place, but...” she trailed off for a moment, looking up at the ceiling as she attempted to find the best way to explain her train of thought. “I-I can explain a bit of the situation to Piers! He looks mean, but he’s nice. A-And I can hide you from Team Yell while we get to my place! They mean well, really, they just get a little...ya know.”

Bede remained with the same wide-eyed expression on his face.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to. I get it. I just...I know you have nowhere else to go,” Marnie said, her voice dropping a bit in volume. “I don’t want you to stay by yourself.”

Marnie immediately felt a sudden weight come barreling towards her, nearly sending her falling from her current seated position. In her shock, she looked down to see Bede, his face buried in her shoulder and his arms tightly wrapped around her. His grip left her a little unable to breathe, but she said nothing.

“Thank you so much...” he said, his voice barely audible. “I...I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Marnie brought her arms up as best she could, resting them on Bede’s back. “You did nothing wrong.”

She gave him a small pat, signaling for him to let go a bit. He obliged, pulling away as she pushed herself up off of the ground, but not before Morpeko hopped up onto her shoulder. Offering him a hand, she effortlessly helped him get back up. Marnie made no attempt to let go of Bede’s hand, but he didn’t exactly seem to mind as his grip tightened slightly. He gave her a bit of a shaky smile, small, but genuine.

“Come on. Off to Spikemuth, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> ah......this one was a hard one to write, mostly because it made me want to cry a little bit, haha. this one emerged from a short comic i made (https://twitter.com/mettamaxie/status/1213286802171269121?s=20) and it was......just very cruel and awful. i even apologized to my friends after i showed them cause i just didn't realize how fucking awful i was making it while i drew it. i thought i should give it a sort of more uplifting ending so. a fic was born babey.
> 
> anyways. yes it's more pastelgothshipping. because of course. if i make you sad im sorry and also me too bitch
> 
> also. for your listening pleasure, mayhaps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vEJ3rgh4Cw


End file.
